I think it would have, with Lamb doing the organising and Watson doing running more, we won’t know now.

I do think that a combo of Lamb and Pearce is pretty good.

Our issue is how many back rowers we have. Buhrer, Griffin, Guerra, Barnett, Fitzgibbon, stone, Sione, Yates, j saifiti. They are the ones off the top of my head - all talented mostly young players but some will miss out. I thought we played out best with Buhrer starting at 9 with Levi off the bench, we nearly need to to fit all the good back rowers in.

I can see watson playing centre because we are short out wide, or if Ponga struggles, Watson will play 1.

Last edited by Pieman on Thu Nov 30, 2017 5:25 pm; edited 1 time in total

Watson fullback for mine, with Ponga on the wing in a Bevan French style licence to roam. Unless Ponga has really concentrated on the weights I don’t think he can regularly play fullback. You can’t win if every set starts with your fullback being pushed back 5 metres. Moga in the centre with SKD and Ross on the other wing. I think Moga will be inside Ponga, to help him defensively and with the hit ups on the early tackles. Moga inside SKD could work as well. One doesn’t pass and the other can’t catch.

@Dip wrote:Watson fullback for mine, with Ponga on the wing in a Bevan French style licence to roam. Unless Ponga has really concentrated on the weights I don’t think he can regularly play fullback. You can’t win if every set starts with your fullback being pushed back 5 metres. Moga in the centre with SKD and Ross on the other wing. I think Moga will be inside Ponga, to help him defensively and with the hit ups on the early tackles. Moga inside SKD could work as well. One doesn’t pass and the other can’t catch.

Pongas size is totally irrelevant to him playing FB. By the way some are talking you'd think he is the smallest guy ever to line up in a 1 in the history of the game. I can think of a half a dozen blokes that are smaller and current or former regular first grade FB. And in the pictures I've seen of knights training, he actually looks like he is put on some size.

Re Pearce, I think he has to line up with Lamb. Watson isn't a starting spine quality player. I think he is a great utility and excellent back up, but Pearce/Lamb is plenty stronger than Lamb/Watson.

i think ponga is worth persisting with at fullback, the only way he'll learn to avoid getting carried back is through experience, ben barba never got bigger (and ponga is bigger then barba) but as he played more games at the back, he was able to avoid it more often.

talk is sione will play centre to avoid more concussions, seems crazy to me that he may not be right to play in the backrow but they think he'll find out wide, i understand less collisions will help but they'll still be there and if he is struggling that much, maybe he shouldn't be playing at all

also, guerra has been pretty garbage for about 2 years now but actually found some form when put in the middle by the chooks, rather then an edge, i know barnett is a pretty good young lock but i'd want guerra spending some time there rather then being on the edge all game where he has fairly consistently made numerous errors offensively and defensively

Yeah I dont mean height, I meant weight and strength. He was getting rag dolled. Def needs to learn how to run it back barba or matt bowen style so that doesnt happen to him all the time, until he is a decent weight at least.

I like the idea of moga on the wing to help with the kick returns. He is a destructive runner but fark me dead he cant catch and pass. Its so important to get good go forward on the first few carries and having moga on one wing helps there. I suspect he is a decent finisher too. There is no way ponga doesnt play FB, but I wouldnt hate seeing him come from the bench or from the wing, but we just dont have the room on the bench to do it.

I agree LG - sione wouldnt be being moved to centre because there is less risk of injury (I dont think there would be anyway), he would be being moved out there because newie have a plethora of decent back rowers and a lack of centres. If he isnt right physically to play back row, there is no way they would just put him at centre and hope for the best.

Pearce and Lamb would surely be the frontrunners for the starting halves, and on paper they are quite a good combo. Lamb is still only 20, I would hate lose him because we signed pearce.

Watson would have to be the utility, and that means that Levi starts, which he has struggled with in the past. Unless they work something out with buhrer starting at hooker, with both levi and watson on the bench, and after 20 levi comes on and plays the middle 40/50 with watson playing a bit of back row and hooker and cover for injury/ponga in the backs. Thats a pretty big starting pack, with a pretty small bench.

With the Pearce signing, we are just about expected to make the 8 now IMO.

Also, Manly are after Hodkinson. Good signing for them IMO. he can just organise and kick and DCE does all the flashy stuff. Would be faily cheap for Manly as well too one would think. Comes across as a great guy as well.

Guys like Barnett/Guerra are going to have to spend a bit of time in the front row too this season IMO, we just have so many talented back rowers its impossible to fit them all in. I agree that Guerra is better suited to 13 with Barnett out at left back row. Fitzgibbon at right back row as well.

Hodkinson to Manly is great for Newcastle and Manly in my view. Hodkinson has plenty to give in the right side and carrying Newcastle was a bridge too far. Freeing DCE up to play what's in front of him without the full burden of running the show is just what Manly needs. I think he is a much better fit for Manly than the still raw Lamb, who is a good foil for Pearce at Newie.

Pretty seamless transition for Qld should ensure they don't miss a beat.

SlaterMunsterMorganSmith

Still better than anything NSW can dish up. When Smith and Slater call it a day it starts to even out a bit.

After watching that world cup, IMO Klemmer is the best prop in the game. He has been amazing.

NSW having Klemmer and Woods starting, with RCG and McLean on the bench - we have a fucking good prop rotation. Fifita's defection might have ended his NSW career too.

Klemmer?WoodsCordnerFrizTrbo

With a bench of GrahamMcleanRCG?

Far out the NSW pack is outstanding on paper. I really hope that with a new coach, we bring in new halves too. With no Cronk or JT, its the perfect time for NSW to usher in some new halves in Cleary/Moylan/Moses/Keary/ whoever else. We still might lose with Smith and Slater around but gee its a good chance to usher in some new halves.